


High Stakes

by GrimSnuffles



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Possessive Damon Salvatore, Protective Damon Salvatore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2020-10-25 21:49:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20731298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimSnuffles/pseuds/GrimSnuffles
Summary: Adara Petrova has been on the run with her sister for centuries now. When her trademark loyalty isn't returned which costs her time and resources, she'll have to figure out how to bring an end to an old friend who also betrayed her with the current Scooby gang.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respectable owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is not associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

** _September 24, 1864_ **

** **

_Adara Petrova smoothed down the folds of her teal green evening gown with grey embroidery on the front for one last time and went to join her sister in front of the mirror._

_She tilted her head as she ran a critical eye over her whole appearance while combing her hands through her wine red hair which was pulled back with a grey decorative hairnet and then flowing onto her side._

_“Stop touching your hair, sister. You will ruin Emily’s hard work.” Katerina drawled. _

_Katerina and Adara could have been identical twins if it weren’t for their differences in hair and eye color. _

_“We wouldn’t want that.” Adara smirked and then remarked softly, “You look beautiful, Katerina.”_

_“It’s Katherine now. How many times have I told you to stop living in the past?” Katerina said sharply._

_“It’s not like I’ve ever slipped up in front of anybody.” Adara defended herself. After some hesitation she pushed the words out, “Speaking of the past… I’d like to tell Damon everything about ours.”_

_Katerina stopped admiring her reflection and rounded on Adara. “Have you completely taken leave of your senses? What, for even a second, made you think that such an action would be supported by me for a passing fancy?”_

_“That I have even decided to consult you on this should tell you that Damon is no passing fancy, though that should have clear to you even before this moment. Don’t forget that I have been residing here with the Salvatore’s since June, unlike you who came here this month.” _

_Adara knew that Katerina was going to be difficult about this and wished that she could have gone ahead with her plans to tell Damon without her approval, but it wouldn’t have been fair to her. Their past demons haunted both, but their main target was Katerina Petrova. _

_“And I have told you my opinion on that.” Adara rolled her eyes on the understatement of Katerina’s comment. “Yes, you have told me repeatedly how unworthy you find Damon.”_

_“Don’t roll your eyes. It’s unladylike.” Katerina sniffed._

_Adara sighed and tried again to get through her sister, “Damon wants to turn and be with me forever. I just feel that he should know about the dangers being with me would bring before he makes such a life altering decision.”_

_“Am I supposed to care about Damon’s welfare? It is just one more reason why you shouldn’t turn him.” With that said, Katerina started walking towards the door._

_Adara flashed forward and blocked her path. “If he doesn’t take it well then I promise to compel him to forget everything about us.”_

_Katerina’s eyes widened before narrowing. “How are you going to compel him with that vervain watch that you gave him?”_

_Adara shot her a scornful look, “The same way that you have already done.”_

_“By ripping it off him?” Katerina smirked at Adara and moved across her but Adara blocked her again. “What now?” Katerina asked and placed a gloved hand on her waist._

_“I have been talking to some witches and there might just be a solution to our Nik prob- “But she was cut off with an uncharacteristic growl from Katerina._

_“Don’t you mean Klaus, sister?” Katerina whispered with a dangerous glint in her eyes._

_“Yes, I meant Klaus. It was just a slip of a name because of habit. It doesn’t mean that I hate him any less than you do. He killed our family. He was planning to kill you. You know that any fondness I held for him is long gone.” Adara said fiercely and Katerina nodded, mollified. _

_“We shouldn’t keep out escorts waiting any longer.” Katerina finally opened the door and stepped out._

_“But- “Adara was cut off by a wave of her sister’s hand and a “Not now, Adriana.”_

_Adara sighed in frustration as she gazed at the back of her sister walking down the stairs but didn’t pursue it further. Katerina had always run on her tune. _

_HS-HS-HS-HS_

_“Everyone will you please join me in raising your glasses to my good friend George Lockwood. George, thank you for so bravely defending the south.” Damon raised his glass towards George Lockwood._

_“My honor Mr. Salvatore. After all, someone had to do it.” George clinked his glass with Damon’s and smiled smugly._

_As Adriana stepped next to Damon and leaned into him, Katherine took a sip from her champagne glass and tuned her ear to the couple._

_“I feel that there is much more bravery in following what is right even if the society deems it wrong.” Adriana said and then clinked her flute to Damon’s. Damon smiled softly down at her and they both took a sip of their champagne._

_Katherine let out an inaudible scoff as she turned back towards Stefan and smiled demurely at him._

_Damon himself admitted that he deserted the confederacy as he felt there was much fun to have with the three of them instead. Her sister must have warped it into something romantic in her mind. This was just further justification that Adriana had lost her mind in love. _

_“Can we have a word Miss Katherine?” Henry asked after he came out to Katherine. _

_“Grab a glass, Henry. It's a celebration.” Katherine urged him._

_“Please, Miss Katherine.” Henry beseeched. _

_After her conversation with Henry about the recent unusual animal attacks, Katherine looked at George Lockwood and her mind churned with an idea to solve two of her nuisances with one strike._

_HS-HS-HS-HS_

_“Thank you, Damon for such an incredible evening.” Adara’s eyes twinkled at Damon and she grabbed hold of both his hands._

_“Thank you for granting me the pleasure of your company, Adara.” Damon murmured as he pressed a kiss on the back of her left hand. “It would be an immense honor to escort you to all the balls in our future. If you would let me.”_

_Adara cupped Damon’s face and said, “Oh, Damon. It would fill me with tremendous joy to have you as my escort to all the balls in our shared eternity.”_

_“Truly?” Damon asked, his voice low with self-doubt._

_Adara’s eyes blazed with determination as she proclaimed, “Yes.” _

_It eased the pain in his heart to hear Adara so unfaltering about their future. But it also perplexed him because if that wasn’t the reason then, “Why won’t you change me, Adara?” _

_“There’s so much you don’t know about me, Damon.” Adara said warily._

_“Then tell me. Tell me what is stopping us from moving forwards our future. Haven’t I shown you by now that I will accept all of you?” Damon traced his fingers beneath her eyes where there would be black veins when her vampire visage took over._

_“Soon. I promise, Damon soon you will know everything. And… if you still want to be changed after that then I will be more than happy to turn you.” Adara promised._

_Damon’s face lit up with a beam, but he tried to steady himself as he once again kissed her hand. “Goodnight Adara.”_

_But Adara tugged at his hand as he stepped back. She looked at him with an impish smile and asked, “Would you like to come in, Mr. Salvatore?”_

_“It would be my pleasure.” Damon professed with a smirk before Adara pulled him into her bedroom and shut the door._

_HS-HS-HS-HS_

_“Come in” Katherine called out the next morning after the knocking subsided. She knew it was her sister._

_“Good morning, sister. I came to continue yester- Oh!” Adriana turned around to give Stefan privacy after seeing him scrambling to cover himself but not before getting a look at his neck which had a large vampire bite._

_“Good morning Stefan.” Adriana greeted him chirpily without any awkwardness in her voice._

_“Good morning Adriana. You can turn back now.” Stefan said with embarrassment coating his voice._

_“Don’t worry Stefan, I’ve seen a man’s chest before. You haven’t compromised my virtue.” Adriana winked playfully at him. “You certainly seem to have taken our… differences in diet in stride. Taken after your brother that way, then?”_

_“This doesn't change the way I feel about Katherine. We will go on exactly as we have.” Stefan replied robotically to Adriana._

_She narrowed her eyes at Stefan and transferred her gaze to Katherine. Katherine already felt annoyed and done with that particular conversation coming her way._

_“I don’t have to explain myself to you, little sister.” Katherine said coldly as she sat down on the armchair._

_Adriana crossed her hands on her chest and agreed, “No, you never do that. But I thought that you would at least restrain yourself with this one.”_

_“Why, because he is your precious beloved’s brother?” Katherine asked in dark amusement._

_“No, because you claimed to love him and wished to turn him.” Adara fired back._

_Katherine sighed. “I only took away his fear.” She continued bitterly, “Everybody is not blessed to have such accepting courters.”_

_There, Katherine thought, that should stop her in her path with guilt, especially after her blunder yesterday with the devil’s name._

_“This will not do you any favors in the future.” Adriana paused and seemed to change her mind and finished with a weary, “I hope you know what you are doing.” _

_“I have a vision for our future, Adriana and all my chips are falling perfectly into place.” Katherina said confidently and rose up from the armchair. “Now excuse us, sister, Mr. Salvatore is waiting for me in the garden to play a game of croquet.” She turned towards Stefan and extended her hand towards him. “Stefan, will you escort me?”_

_Stefan got up from the bed and bowed to Katherine. “Of course, Miss Katherine.”_

_“Katherine…” Adriana dragged out warningly, “If this goes on then I’ll take yesterday’s lack of protest as assent and move forward with my plans.” _

_“I remember protesting” Katherine exclaimed._

_“Not after my suggestion of compulsion if he doesn’t take it well.” Adriana pointed out._

_“Don’t be so impatient, sister. I’m sure we’ll get a chance to talk this evening.” Katherine smiled deviously at Adriana for a moment before walking out of her room with Stefan._

_HS-HS-HS-HS_

_Adara walked around the garden and tried to calm her racing thoughts. _

_Damon and Stefan were best friends. She knew Damon would want to save him from Katherine, but she also knew that if she helped him then the rift that was growing between her and Katherine might be too large to cross. _

_Yet Stefan was her friend too. He didn’t deserve to be compelled and become a chew toy for her sister. She had thought that Stefan was safe with Katherine as it had been centuries since she had seen her sister express positive emotions towards anyone but her. Lately not even her. Not since they had separated when they almost got caught by Klaus’ vampires a few decades back._

_Those decades apart had been both good and bad for her. She shook her head. She didn’t want to get caught up in those memories right now. _

_But they had been productive in getting her in touch with a coven of witches that gave her hope that Nik’s- Klaus, she scolded herself. That Klaus’ reign of terror in their lives might finally end. _

_Adara knew why Katerina hadn’t been paying her much attention when it came to this. There were not many witches that were willing to go against Klaus and they had had no luck in finding his weaknesses. Katerina probably found this as useless as their other endeav- “Ah!” She gasped._

_She looked down to see blood spreading through her dress._

_Adara had heard Giuseppe Salvatore come into the garden but she hadn’t paid him any attention, too lost in her thoughts, an action that she was now severely regretting. He used her temporary incapacity to plunge a syringe in her that she realized, as she tried to blink the black spots away, was probably vervain._

_HS-HS-HS-HS_

_Adara opened her eyes to see Damon’s face hovering over hers._

_“Damon?” She tried to say but it came out muffled. Her eyes widen when she realized her mouth was covered by a muzzle._

_“Shh. Shh. I’ll get you out of here.” Damon tried to sooth her as he took off the muzzle and started untying her._

_“We're going to get you both out of here. Damon, hurry. Hurry.” Adara heard Stefan say to the side and turned her head to see him untying Katerina._

_Adara let out a scream when she heard a gunshot and saw Damon fall. She tried to get up, but tears come to her eyes as she realized that the vervain in her system was still affecting her._

_“No! No. Damon.” Stefan cried out as he jumped up and grabbed a gun, but he was shot down too._

_A few men came into her view as they tied both the sisters up again, put their muzzles back on and put them back in the carriage. _

_Adara tried to pacify herself with the thought that Damon had her blood in his system, but it only helped a little. This was not how she wanted him to turn. If she didn’t get out of this mess, then Damon would have no one to help him in his new vampire lifestyle._

_Her head snapped up when she recalled that Stefan had been shot too. _

_“Stefan?” She tried to convey her thoughts to her sister and saw her nodding. So, Stefan had also died with vampire blood in his veins._

_If she didn’t survive this, then at least Damon would have his brother._

_In short time they reached the Fell’s church and were promptly tossed into it._

_After a little while their strength slowly returned, and they tore off their bindings. Adara had just started to pop the wooden bullets out of her chest when she saw Katerina being helped out of the church by one of the guards._

_“Katherine?” She rasped out as a hopeful fire began to ignite in her._

_Though that fire quickly turned into ice when Katerina looked at her with a hint of regret as she said, “I’m sorry Adriana.”_

_Adara stared at her with incredulity and tried to get up but she was still weak from the vervain and slumped over the wall instead. _

_Katerina paused and threw out a, “Don’t worry. You won’t die. This is for your own good.” over her shoulder and finally walked away._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respectable owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is not associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**December 12, 2009**  
  
Damon felt adrenaline pumping through him as he impatiently waited for the witches to finish chanting. Everything that he had been through for the last 145 years would be worth it when that tomb finally opens and he could go and get the love of his life.  
  
"What are they saying?" He grumbled in irritation.  
  
"Sounds Latin." Stefan said unhelpfully and his copy-cat girlfriend also piped up equally as unhelpfully, "I don't think it's Latin."  
  
As each minute passed, Damon got even more geared up before the torches flared up.  
  
"What's happening?" He heard Elena's voice but to him it felt like it was coming from far away even with vampire hearing as he saw the tomb doors creak open.  
  
He had been dreaming of this moment ever since he had found out that Adara had not died in the fire and now it was time to finally live through the rest of the dream. He ignored the chattering witches and turned to Stefan, "We have some fires to build."  
  
Stefan looked at Elena and gently touched her shoulder, "I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back."  
  
As soon as he ascended the stairs out of the tomb, Damon turned to Elena and asked, "You ready?"  
  
"What?" Elena frowned back at him in confusion.  
  
But he ignored her and rounded on the witches, "You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?"  
  
"Don't take her in. I'll bring the walls down." Sheila warned.  
  
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?" Damon scoffed.  
  
"As much as I trust you." Sheila countered.  
  
"Enough. Both of you. Look, he needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it. I'll go." Elena reasoned with the wiccans while Damon grabs a torch from the circle.  
  
"May I?" Damon only granted her that courtesy because she had surprisingly kept her word about helping him. She nodded reassuringly at the two women and followed him inside the tomb.  
  
A few minutes in, Elena whispered to Damon, "What is that?" referring to the whispers she could hear.  
  
"They can sense you. Now, where is she?" Damon murmured distractedly and sped away to search faster than a human's pace.  
  
"Damon!" He heard her hiss behind him but ignored it. The vampires were too desiccated to attack her so Stefan's human should be safe enough.  
  
Damon searched the tomb with a tunnel vision and grew more and more frustrated when he didn't find either of the sisters. He searched the tomb once more and ended up at the end of the tomb again with no different results which made him kick the dirt on the floor in agitation.  
  
"Damon." Stefan came up behind him and Damon whispered in a barely audible voice, "She's not here."  
  
"What?" Stefan asked and he yelled in despair, "She's not here!"  
  
Damon turned and threw the blood bag at a wall.  
  
But as he panted, he saw a piece of fabric peeking from behind the wall that he threw the blood bag at and immediately went over to investigate.  
  
He barely felt the tears of relief that dropped from his eyes as he knelt down and cupped the face that even after roaming the entire world couldn't come close to compare with any other.  
  
"Adara." Damon whispered reverently and ignored the sharp inhale from his brother behind him.  
  
"Damon, we need to get out of here." Stefan said.  
  
Damon gently picked Adara up in his arms and turned back to face his brother, "We still need to find Katherine."  
  
"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out." Stefan said urgently and when he saw Damon hesitating he cried out, "It's not worth spending all of eternity down here. She's not worth it!"  
  
Well Damon could agree on that. The only reason that he had hesitated was because Adara would be heartbroken to know that her sister was still in the tomb. He was going to have to pacify her by promising to try to get Katherine out later.  
  
Elena ran in and pleaded, "Damon! Please."  
  
He brushed past her and muttered, "No need to be so weepy. Your boyfriend had already convinced me."  
  
Damon ran out in speed to the boarding house and put Adara in his bed. Then he got multiple blood bags from the fridge in the basement and ran back to her side.  
  
He eschewed the straw and just rips a small hole through the blood bag so that it would be easier to feed her. There was already life surging back in her by the second bag as she grabbed the hand that was feeding her.  
  
Adara blinked up in a muddled manner at Damon after she finished it and gasped.  
  
"Damon?" Her voice was rough due to years of misuse.  
  
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to see those blue eyes. Did you know nobody has eyes like yours?" Damon rasped with chocked up emotions that he hadn't felt in decades.  
  
She blinked back her own tears and said, "I hadn't even hoped that –" But she started coughing midway through her sentence which made Damon pick up another blood bag.  
  
"Shh, first drink this so that you can recover, baby." Damon said lovingly as he offered her the blood bag after helping her sit up.  
  
She looked at it in confusion and Damon remembered that there were no plastic straws in 1864.  
  
"Right, so have to suck it out of this," Damon pointed the straw at her, "so that you can get the blood out of the bag. Try it yourself once."  
  
She got the hang of it pretty fast when she realized that by sucking hard she got more blood. After a few more blood bags she wrinkled her nose adorably.  
  
"The blood is so stale!" Adara pouted slightly and Damon smiled fondly at her.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, once we get out of town you can have as much fresh blood as you want." Damon promised.  
  
Adara suddenly looked worried as she asked, "Is the town still hunting vampires?"  
  
"Nothing as bad as before." Damon immediately assuaged her fear, "In fact, the council is actually quite pathetic. No, I promised baby brother that we'll leave town as soon as I get you out and that there would be no bloodshed."  
  
"Why?" She asked. She understood the part about no bloodshed but why was it so urgent to leave as soon as possible?  
  
Damon sighed warily. "Our relationship is… not as cordial as it was before."  
  
Adara felt sad at that unexpected news. They used to be best of friends and now to hear that Stefan couldn't even tolerate his brother's presence in the same town anymore. But then again, her relationship with Katherine had also deteriorated over the centuries. Vampirism was a curse after all.  
  
His expression didn't invite any more conversation on that area so she just leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She then smiled teasingly and said, "I would hug you but I don't think you would want all this", she extended a hand and grimaced at how dirty it was, "on you."  
  
"You really do stink. It's down to my pure love for you that I am sitting on the same bed as you at all." Damon said half-jokingly.  
  
Adara swatted his arm and said, "If it's such a hardship for you then you ought to direct me to a bath then."  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
By the time Stefan got home, he discovered that he was the only one in the boarding house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respectable owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is not associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**December 15, 2009**

"Damon, you can come back to Mystic Falls. I don't mind if it's just Adriana who is out of the tomb. She was one of the good ones. At least let me talk to her Damon. She was my friend too. I miss-" Damon scoffed with derision as he cut off the voicemail and tossed his phone to the study table in front of him.

Where were all of these goody-goody feelings, Damon mocked internally, when Stefan was sabotaging him from opening the tomb?

Damon had always known back in 1864 that his brother had feelings for both his girlfriend and his own. Now Stefan wanted to recreate it 145 years later with his Adara and the Katherine copy who was much more to Stefan's taste.

Damon snickered briefly at the pun before his previous thoughts once again cast a shadow on his mood.

No, this arrangement suited him perfectly. He and Adara could travel the world now. He could show her the ropes on how to navigate the 21st century. And if their travels placed them far away from his little brother? Even better for everyone involved in his opinion.

Damon swung his chair around to face the bed and a smile came to his face like it had for the past three days when faced with the sight he is now. Adara's hair was spread out over both their pillows as she slept on her stomach. Her face was turned away from him but her bare back was glowing in the moonlight.

Perhaps he hadn't been the best guide to the new century, he thought smugly and walked back to the bed, as he had kept her thoroughly distracted since her return to him.

Judging by the glint in her eyes though when she told him that they were going out tomorrow morning, he had a feeling that they would finally be going out of the hotel room and start the exploring part of her recovery.

But a few more rounds of… distraction before the sun rises again wouldn't go amiss, Damon thought with a smirk as he trailed his fingers down her back.

HS-HS-HS-HS

"It's amazing how much the world can change as each century passes." Adara remarked in amazement as her head swiveled around to take in everything in the shopping mall.

"You'll get used to it in no time" Damon reassured her as he raised the hand that he had been holding and kissed the back of it. "Now let's get you a wardrobe full of 21st century clothes."

Adara was wearing a grey knitted sweater dress with black boots that Damon had bought for her while she was holed up in their hotel room but that was all she owned.

"Can we go the library after this? There is so much to know! World history and political changes of the past century, all the new discoveries, the bio – " Damon cut her off with a laugh as he tapped her nose with his index finger and felt his chest warm when she wriggled her nose. "Yes, my little nerd, we can go to the book store after we're done with clothes. We'll also get you a laptop so that it's easier for you to catch up and a phone while we're at it. So our third stop will be the tech store."

Adara looked at him with slight bewilderment and informed him, "You do realize that I didn't understand anything from what you just said? What is a nerd? And a laptop?"

"Nerd is a term for smart people, not usually used in a positive manner but like I just did, it can be used affectionately. And a laptop… you'll see when we go to the tech store. I can already predict that you'll love it."

**December 22, 2009**

Damon pouted as he was proven right when in the following days Adara was glued to her laptop as she surfed the web. Google was her new best friend.

A devilish glint entered his eyes when an idea came to him on how to lure her to him under the guise of further knowledge.

He got up from the bed and walked over to the couch where she was seated with her laptop. "I just had a brilliant idea."

She looked up from her now favorite tech from the current time. "What is it?"

"What better way to acclimate you to 2009 than watching movies? You'll get second-hand knowledge on how much the vocabulary of the current generation has degenerated."

"Ok, if you think that will help then let's watch a movie. Just give me 5 minutes to finish this article." Adara moved her gaze back to the laptop and Damon sneaked a peek over her shoulder to see what had enthralled her this time. She was on the NASA webpage.

Damon shook his head as he headed to the living room of the suite to set up a movie on the TV.

Adara had always loved knowledge. It had been one of the things that had bonded Stefan and Adara as while Stefan hadn't been a nerd like his girlfriend, Stefan also liked to read literary books.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Adara plopped herself on his lap.

"Shall we start then?"

"Yup. I was just waiting for her highness to be finished with her current reading material." Damon drawled before he started the movie.

"It is good to have such a loyal subject who adjusts his schedule around my wishes." Adara teased.

Damon chuckled darkly and whispered in her ear as the opening scene started, "Let me introduce you to the concept of Netflix and chill, sweetheart."

HS-HS-HS-HS

Adara sighed heavily as she traced imaginary lines on Damon's chest.

"I must be losing my touch if you can have such deep thoughts after the last 3 rounds." Damon said as he stroked her hair.

"Now you just want me to stroke your ego." Adara teased and she had expected a comeback along the lines of 'If I would want you to stroke something, then it wouldn't be my ego'.

Instead Damon pulled her from his chest to the pillow so that they were facing each other as they laid side by side. "No, I want you to tell me what's troubling you so that I can fix it."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to blink them back.

Damon had changed so much and she hadn't expected anything else as she knew very well how much a person can change over the years. No person was exempt from the ravages of time, not even vampires who were immortal. So seeing the sweet side of Damon that she had fallen for overwhelmed her for a moment.

Damon brushed off the lone tear that fell on her cheek. "Is it Katherine? I'm sorry baby but we didn't have a lot of time to look around. In fact I almost didn't find _you_ in time. The power required was too much for the witches. But I'm sure that we can open the tomb again and get your sister out."

Adara sighed. "Damon, if Katherine had been in the tomb then do you think that I would have allowed us to get out of Mystic Falls so easily?"

Damon stared at Adara with confused eyes. "What do you mean? Did she find some way to escape but couldn't take you along?"

Adara laughed but there was nothing happy about it. "My sister very deliberately left me in the tomb as a guard helped her out. She was in cahoots with someone on the inside of the council but apparently her twin sister wasn't part of the deal. According to her, the entrapment was for my own good."

For a few moments the look of confusion remained on his face before black veins started to form around his eyes and he vamped out. He jumped out of the bed and started pacing. "What the fuck? She betrayed you? All those times she walked around the mansion being haughty and disapproving like a Giuseppe 2.0 but then she turns around and has the audacity to betray you?"

Adara also got up and stepped in his path. "I have been unforgivingly lax for the last few days. I need to know how many people know that you broke me out of the tomb. And was there anyone other than me who also got out?"

"Why? Are you worried that Katherine will come after you?"

Adara hesitated but then whispered, "Yes."

She felt bad for the half-lie but even if Damon had rescued her, rational thinking pointed out that they had still been through a 145 years separation. It behooved her to get to know him again and come to the place of trust that they used to share before she told him one of her biggest secrets.

"Hey." Damon cupped her face again. "Do you really think that I am going to let anyone separate us? I'll protect you from whatever that comes after us, which now has your sister on top of the list."

"Katherine is a diabolical genius, Damon." So was Klaus. "She had a purpose behind betraying me which right now eludes me. She will not rest until she achieves her goals." Which also unfortunately applied to Klaus.

To think that she was now on the run from her sister too.

"Sweetheart, I am made from the same cloth. Though, you should have faith in one thing." Damon paused so that her gaze came back to him. "I will never let you go."

Adara felt a shiver go down her spine at the intent in his eyes. Though his voice was still soft, there was a promise in there that echoed from when he had first made it 145 years ago.

HS-HS-HS-HS

**December 31, 2009**

The last few days had been quite informative, Adara mused as she took a sip from her wine glass.

Despite Damon's efforts to stay in, they had been road tripping without a set destination.

Disregarding his ulterior motives, Damon had not been wrong in stating that movies were a good indicator on how the current generation communicated with each other. She rarely had any slips ups these days and had gotten pretty used to the 'slang' that was common place now.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Damon murmured from where he was laying beside her on the blanket.

She looked down at him and simply smiled.

There had been many evenings spent stargazing in the early days of their relationship. During his travels, Damon had stumbled upon a spot in California where one could experience the full experience of the night sky's brilliance. In anticipation of sharing this spot with Adara when he broke her put of the tomb, Damon built a cottage in that area so that they could go stargazing in the backyard whenever they wanted and removed the memory of the place from the workers to prevent others from sharing this knowledge.

While she had wanted to be social after being alone for more than a century because being desiccated wasn't exactly constructive for conversing, she was in agreement with Damon that this was the perfect way to usher in the New Year.

Besides, she was never lonely when she was with Damon.

Adara put down her wine glass and also laid down. "Did I ever thank you, Damon?"

"For what?" Damon wondered as he entwined their hands together.

"For never giving up on me." Adara replied. "I had hoped that you would remember me fondly but I had never imagined that you would go to such effort to save me."

She turned on her side to face him and Damon mimicked her. "And this?" She waved with one hand to gesture to the beautiful garden that Damon had spruced up with fairy lights. "You made this place with me in mind. I find myself without words to describe how that makes me feel, Damon."

It created a maelstrom of emotions within her that were hard to define.

Damon pulled her completely into his arms and she cuddled up to him. He tipped her head up with his finger and gazed at her with uncharacteristically serious eyes. "I love you, Adara. And that should be all you need to know on why I will never give up on you; on why you are always there in my thoughts even if you aren't physically next to me."

Adara closed the distance between them and placed a soft kiss on Damon's lips. They stayed together like that, their lips still touching, breathing the air that the other breather until Adara's phone started beeping.

She pulled away to shut it down and turned back to beam giddily down at Damon.

"Happy New year!" Adara exclaimed with happiness at celebrating the first new year outside the tomb and beside the love of her life.

Vampires ceased to celebrate the passing of each year with eternity spanning before them. Nothing like getting locked up for 145 years to make you appreciate New Year's again.

Damon pulled her down on top of him, making her straddle him and kissed her mouth again and again and _again_,

"Happy," He whispered against her mouth, closing the distance to place a soft kiss against her lips, "New," another kiss, "Year."

He kept on pressing chaste kisses against her mouth and she laughed. But then _she _started doing the same and they welcome the New Year, wrapped up in each other.

HS-HS-HS-HS

**January 16, 2010**

"Damon, you need to come back to Mystic Falls. Stefan says that you have been ignoring his voicemails so I don't know if you are aware that the tomb vampires all got out. We got to know this ourselves just yesterday. I think Stefan got kidnapped by one of them. Please Damon, I need your help." Elena's voice pleaded from Damon's phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am putting Stefan in the same position as Elena in season 3. He loved both the sisters in different ways. The only difference is that Adara never reciprocated since she was only in love with Damon.
> 
> I hope the fluff was good. I was unsure about that and this chapter was full of it. We get back to Mystic Falls action from the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: To make it a bit clearer, Adara Petrova is her real name while she adopted the alias Adriana Pierce, just like Katherine.
> 
> I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please leave reviews for constructive criticism, ideas you’d like to see incorporated (it’s always interesting to see what the readers want though I can’t guarantee that I’ll use them) and of course I would love to hear if I’m doing a good job 😉


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